Pseudomorphic growth of Ge<i>x</i>Si1−<i>x</i> on silicon by molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract

GexSi1−x layers are grown on Si substrates over the full range of alloy compositions at temperatures from 400–750 °C by means of molecular beam epitaxy. At a given growth temperature films grow in a smooth, two-dimensional manner up to a critical germanium fraction xc. Beyond xc growth is rough. xc increases from 0.1 at 750 °C to 1.0 at ∼550 °C. Rutherford ion backscattering measurements indicate good crystallinity over a wide range of growth conditions. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that in thin films, the lattice mismatch between the GexSi1−x and Si layers can be accommodated by lattice distortion rather than by misfit dislocation formation. This pseudomorphic growth condition can persist to alloy thicknesses as large as l/4 μm.